NBC Cut Ties With Golden Globes, Plus Tom Cruise Returns Awards Amid HFPA Controversy

Following concerns about diversity and lack of representation within the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, NBC has decided to cut ties with the HFPA’s Golden Globes and will not broadcast its 2022 ceremony.

While NBC believes the organization is committed to “meaningful reform,” it says a change of this magnitude “takes time and work” and the HFPA “needs time to do it right.”

This comes after the HFPA, which is made up of international journalists who put on and vote for winners of the Golden Globes, were called out for having no black members, in addition to failing to address sexism, among other ethical concerns. Several film and TV companies, including Netflix, Amazon and WarnerMedia, have also recently distanced themselves from the HFPA and the Globes as well.

NBC’s decision not to broadcast the ceremony comes the same day Tom Cruise reportedly returned his three Golden Globes to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association headquarters. This follows criticism of the group by other A-listers like Mark Ruffalo and Scarlett Johansson, who called on Hollywood to “step back” from HFPA.

HFPA has been a magnitude of controversy for decades. Earlier this year, the organization expelled former president Phil Berk, who, in a leaked email, shared a post to fellow members that called Black Lives Matter a “racist hate movement.” It was also revealed in February that the organization had zero black members, out of a total of 87 members. As a result of that, HFPA claimed it aims to admit 20 new members in 2021, increasing membership by 50 percent.